SAN DIEGO - A man who was scuba diving died Sunday

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

FM1520

Contributor
Messages
438
Reaction score
119
Location
Fallbrook, CA
# of dives
I just don't log dives
SAN DIEGO - A man who was SAN DIEGO - A man who was scuba diving about 10 miles southwest of Point Loma died Sunday after having a medical emergency under the water, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
The man, who officials confirmed was 42 years old, was diving with a group of 11 others at a ship wreck site known as Hogan when he had a medical emergency and lost consciousness, Coast Guard spokesman Henry Dunphy said. The man was diving from the 40-foot Delta dive boat Marissa based out of Mission Bay.
The diver was helped to the surface by his diving partner and a call was placed to the Coast Guard just after noon, Dunphy said. A Coast Guard boat that was training about five miles from the dive spot immediately responded to the call.
The man and his dive partner were taken on the Coast Guard boat where Coast Guard officers performed CPR on the unconscious diver, Dunphy said. The man was turned over to medical emergency responders at Ballast Point, inside the Silver Gate, around 12:55 p.m.
A medical examiner on scene pronounced the man dead shortly after arrival, according to Dunphy.
The Marissa Dive Charters' website lists the diving site Hogan as being at a depth of about 125 feet. Only certified experienced divers are allowed to dive at such depths.
According to the Marissa website, the USS Hogan was a Wickes class destroyer launched in 1919 that earned six battle stars in World War II and was sunk intentionally in 1945.
The Marissa's website listed Lora Meyer as the boat's captain. after having a medical emergency under the water, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.
The man, who officials confirmed was 42 years old, was diving with a group of 11 others at a ship wreck site known as Hogan when he had a medical emergency and lost consciousness, Coast Guard spokesman Henry Dunphy said. The man was diving from the 40-foot Delta dive boat Marissa based out of Mission Bay.
The diver was helped to the surface by his diving partner and a call was placed to the Coast Guard just after noon, Dunphy said. A Coast Guard boat that was training about five miles from the dive spot immediately responded to the call.
The man and his dive partner were taken on the Coast Guard boat where Coast Guard officers performed CPR on the unconscious diver, Dunphy said. The man was turned over to medical emergency responders at Ballast Point, inside the Silver Gate, around 12:55 p.m.
A medical examiner on scene pronounced the man dead shortly after arrival, according to Dunphy.
The Marissa Dive Charters' website lists the diving site Hogan as being at a depth of about 125 feet. Only certified experienced divers are allowed to dive at such depths.
According to the Marissa website, the USS Hogan was a Wickes class destroyer launched in 1919 that earned six battle stars in World War II and was sunk intentionally in 1945.
The Marissa's website listed Lora Meyer as the boat's captain.
 
Very sad accident. It just shows that fitness is absolutely essential for diving. Conditions were close to ideal, with the only 'challenge' being a 50 yards swim from the anchor to the wreck, and a little bit of current at the surface.
My condolences to family and friends.
 
50 yards from the anchor to the wreck Why so far?

I disagree that fitness is essential for diving. Granted fitness is good for any activity but essential it think is over stating.
 
I don't think its overstated at all. If you dont believe that, compare cardiac incident survival rates on land to those occurring underwater.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
50 yards from the anchor to the wreck Why so far?

I disagree that fitness is essential for diving. Granted fitness is good for any activity but essential it think is over stating.
That happens... no biggie as long as you know where to head out (which the captain told us).

As far as fitness goes, in this particular case, I believe this is an appropriate reminder, although it is not 100% clear how this unfolded (but that was obviously underwater, and the guy had apparently plenty of gas in his twinset). When you have to haul over a 100 pounds of gear into and out of the water, or fight the resulting drag at depth or at the surface, you better be sure that your body is OK with that.
 
I don't think its overstated at all. If you dont believe that, compare cardiac incident survival rates on land to those occurring underwater.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

LOL, cardiac incident survival while underwater is going to be low, not sure that has anything to do with fitness. I just think that fitness is not essential to diving. It adds value of course but its not essential.
 
Couple of quick thoughts:

It just shows that fitness is absolutely essential for diving.
I think you're reaching a conclusion based on facts not in evidence. All the report says is "medical emergency". Unless you have more info to share, we don't know what that is. It may not be exactly "fitness" related. Now, if you want to use "fitness" in a much broader sense to bascially mean "medically fit to dive" it may factor in. We know from the stats compiled by the L.A. County Coroner that in about 40% of the scuba fatalities in our jurisdiction, it had a medical cause or a medical component to it.

FM1520:
I disagree that fitness is essential for diving.
Especially in diving, where immerison places stresses on your body that other air-based activities do not, your degree of fitness, as well as medical conditions that might not affect you otherwise, absolutely come into play IMHO. Perhaps it's just the semantics, but whether you call it "good" or "essential," I don't think you should blow off it's importance so cavalierly.

I would also respectfully suggest FM1520, that "LOL" in a post might be perceived as a rather insensitive attitude when we're discussing a death.
 
I think you're reaching a conclusion based on facts not in evidence.

I do not know what happened in the water but the last event was above 30-40 ft, where my buddy and I met the two divers on the anchor line (we on our way down, they on their way up - or to a deco stop, I don't know). The diver was diving a twinset and I was told there was 2000 psi in it when they hauled him back on the boat. I have no reason to doubt that statement. Hence, it was not an out of air issue.
They bolted to the surface (some time after we crossed their path). I assume that a likely reason is that the diver felt he was loosing it and that surfacing was his last resource. Unfortunately, he was not breathing anymore when brought back on the boat.
I am not a doctor, but it seems pretty clear that a perceived medical emergency occurred. Which it was, I cannot say. It was serious enough to let him take a risk when bolting to the surface (although an emergency ascent should be OK when done in a controlled manner). Again whether or not embolism was the ultimate cause of death (if embolism was involved, which some of the reported symptoms seem to imply), the trigger was underwater.
You have less risk to have a medical emergency (be it a perceived one) underwater if you are fit. That's all I am saying. The diver looked healthy, so I would never had suspected a problem, and there have been fit people dying of heart attack or other fatal health problems, so obviously the issue is complex. But tech diving is strenuous, so I maintain that fitness should be part of the plan.
 
They bolted to the surface . . . I assume that a likely reason is that the diver felt he was loosing it . . . but it seems pretty clear that a perceived medical emergency occurred . . . Again whether or not embolism was the ultimate cause of death

My point is simply that we don't know at this point in time so why jump to conclusions? What you're describing could be medical, equipment failure, or a panic attack that is very real to the victim whether or not there's any real reason to panic. I'm only suggesting that you're making a lot of assumptions, assuming your assumptions are true, and then reaching a conclusion that the eventual facts may not support.

But tech diving is strenuous, so I maintain that fitness should be part of the plan.

ALL diving is strenuous on one level or another and on that basis, I agree with you 100% about fitness being a desired goal.
 
LOL, cardiac incident survival while underwater is going to be low, not sure that has anything to do with fitness. I just think that fitness is not essential to diving. It adds value of course but its not essential.

Fitness is essential for diving for countless reasons. All the certifying agencies emphasize this point.

From Naui:

--------------- Risk Management Handbook - 1998 Edition ---------------




Contraindications to Diving


...most authorities recognize certain Absolute Contraindications. These include:


Disorders that may induce blackout or weakness. An epileptic seizure, insulin reaction, or acute heart dysrhythmia on land is usually merely annoying; under water, it could easily be fatal. Even if epilepsy is well controlled, hyperventilation or stress would favor seizures, and the effect of high pressure itself on epilepsy remains unknown. Even if diabetes is well controlled, exercise lowers the need for insulin; for such a person, any unexpected exertion needed for self or buddy rescue, would make the normal insulin dose excessive, thus favoring a reaction. A person subject to heart dysrhythmias may learn how to avoid them. Yet, an attack could be precipitated by anxiety, exertion, cold, or abnormal gas tensions, conditions not exactly known and not always avoidable in the water.


Severely limited ability to cope with stress. Examples are heart failure, advanced chronic lung disease, and feebleness of any cause.


History of pneumothorax, since it often repeats, or x-ray evidence of emphysematous blebs (weak areas of the lung), which could rupture and cause pneumothorax.


Potential air trapping disorders such as active asthma, bronchial edema and mucus and spasm due to cigarettes or infection (e.g., up to ten days after a chest cold), and certain scars, cysts, or tumors, Any of these can cause lung rupture during ascent.


Ruptured eardrums, or inability to equalize pressure. Pacific islanders sometimes break their eardrums on purpose to rid themselves of squeeze problems, but their diving isn't for sport.


Tendency to dizziness or disorientation, if more than mild.


Acute illness or intoxication. These greatly increase the risk of narcosis, bends, and other deep trouble.


Severe emotional instability. The danger to self and others is obvious.


Definite fear of diving, or of a particular dive. Surgeons don't do elective surgery under those conditions (extreme fear), for experience has shown they increase the patient's risk of dying. The same should apply to elective sports.


Possible Contraindications


There are also conditions which reduce one's fitness for diving, but not enough to absolutely forbid it. These are the relative contraindications. They include:
Reduced exercise tolerance from any cause. Old? weak? or just out of shape?


Difficulty equalizing pressure in middle ears or sinuses.


Certain temporary states like fatigue, hunger, and dehydration.


Low intelligence or poor judgment.


Neurosis and adverse mood states.


Any other disorder or disability that would reduce one's capacity to recognize or cope with problems. This huge category includes deficits in sensory function (hearing, seeing), and in neuromuscular and skeletal integrity, such as cerebral palsy, amputations, and polio residuals.

i have seen too many out of shape divers tumbling through the surf, unable to swim back to the boat, and other various issues.

fitness is essential to SAFE diving.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

Back
Top Bottom